“For both He who sanctifies and those who are being sanctified are all of one, for which reason He is not ashamed to call them brethren”
Hebrews 2:11 NKJV

Hebrews 2:11 is probably not new to you. Jesus is the One who sanctifies and everyone already in Christ Jesus has been sanctified. According to this verse of scripture, the Sanctified and the Sanctifier are ONE.

What is ONE?

ONE is a number, the lowest cardinal number.

ONE is also used to refer to or identify a person.

And ONE also describes something of same quality and make-up, something that is identical. I believe this is the meaning of ONE Hebrews 2:11 is referring to.

We are born of His Spirit. We have the same Father as He. We are one in nature with Him. As He is, so are we in this life (I John 4:17). We are One with Him in spirit.

“But the person who is united to the Lord becomes one spirit with Him.“
1 Corinthians 6:17 AMPC

Colossians 1:18 identifies Jesus Christ as the….head of the Church, the beginning and firstborn from the dead..

“And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence.”
Colossians 1:18 NKJV

According to 1 Corinthians 12:27 and Romans 12:5, the body of believers make up the Body of Christ; each member contributing to the whole…

“Now you [collectively] are Christ’s body and [individually] you are members of it, each part severally and distinct [each with his own place and function].”
1 Corinthians 12:27 AMPC

“so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another.”
Romans 12:5 NKJV

Romans 12:5 says that though the Body has composite parts with diversities, yet the Body remains one…..

Imagine if I came to you saying and insisting that; ‘I want only your head to follow me’, you’ll probably look at me in confusion and probably quietly wondering if all was well with me. It is impossible for a head to be active, move on it’s own while separate from the body.

Both the Head and the Body are Christ.

Are you God? No, but you have His Spirit and nature. You have His life.

You are Christ!

“Christ is like a single body, which has many parts; it is still one body, even though it is made up of different parts.” 1 Corinthians 12:12. Good News bible

He died, was buried and resurrected, and we were in Him. He conquered principalities and powers, we were in Him. We conquered them as well. The curse was done away with; sickness, poverty and death and we were in Him. He is seated at the right of the Father in Heaven, a position of authority, and we are seated with Him.

You are CHRIST!

………..

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Blessings & Love Always!

You have probably read Mark 11:23 ten times and over, I have. You may have also probably written out Word-based faith confessions from this scripture, I have. You also may have taken bold faith steps inspired by Mark 11:23, I have.

Question; ‘what’s it again about Mark 11:23 then?’…… ‘Say WHAT You Want‘….

Let’s look at this scripture again…

“For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says.”
Mark 11:23 NKJV

Mark 11:23 NKJV

We see the mechanics of faith explained in Mark 11:22-23….Say…..Believe….Receive (have).

Notice also, how Jesus said we are to handle the mountain; we are to SPEAK DIRECTLY to it… “be removed and cast into the sea”..

While this may seem like nothing, it is actually important and can be easily neglected. Christians often prefer to go ’round’ a ‘mountain’ rather than speak directly to it.

For example…: “by His Stripes I am healed” is a Word-based faith confession informed by Isaiah 53:5 and 1 Peter 2:24.  This confession is a foundation on which to declare; ’I declare to you my brain cells that you function perfectly well, I read, understand, retain and remember the things I read in Jesus name, because I believe that surely He bore my griefs, He carried my sorrows, He was wounded for my transgressions and bruised for my iniquities and by His stripes I am healed.”

Jesus said we should Say (talk directly) to the mountain “be removed and be cast into the sea“. If we only keep saying ‘this too shall pass’, ‘God is my healer’ ‘I know that God is faithful’, we have not spoken directly to any mountain (selah).

Let’s see what Jesus did about a ‘mountain’….

John 11:41-44….

“So they took away the stone. Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. Yes, I know You always hear and listen to Me, but I have said this on account of and for the benefit of the people standing around, so that they may believe that You did send Me [that You have made Me Your Messenger]. When He had said this, He shouted with a loud voice, Lazarus, come out! And out walked the man who had been dead, his hands and feet wrapped in burial cloths (linen strips), and with a [burial] napkin bound around his face. Jesus said to them, Free him of the burial wrappings and let him go.“
John 11:41‭-‬44 AMPC

I believe that if Jesus stopped at recognizing and thanking the Father without calling forth Lazarus, dead Lazarus would not have as much as turned in his grave….

Here’s the thing, the authority and confidence to say “be removed and be cast into the sea“ is backed by the Word (which you know already). That’s what the Word does for us- builds our knowledge about our identity, rights and privileges in Christ so that we can boldly claim them. Jesus’s confidence was that the Father ALWAYS heard Him, so surely dead Lazarus came back to life when He called out to him.

So the next time you need say $100 based on your knowledge of II Corinthians 8:9; Christ became poor that I might be rich”, boldly declare in faith that you receive and thank the Father for it. In my experience, one of 2 things will happen to get that money into your hands; 1. God will show you or expose you to an opportunity that will deliver $100 to you. 2. Someone/people will be led to give you exactly $100 gift. We just need to understand how God works with us.

Philippians 4:6 says, ‘do not be anxious, just say what you want‘…

“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God” Philippians 4:6 NKJV

When we are not specific about what we want or about our declarations, we seem like a young man who goes before his wealthy father, showering him with encomiums.. “daddy, I know that you are very wealthy, you own company ABC, you own a fleet of cars, you are rich, generous and kind, blablabla“. I believe that at some point, this rich, generous and kind father will interrupt his son with a ‘what do you want?, say it’.

Today, based on the Word of God, Say WHAT you want. And do not doubt in your heart, only believe, and you shall have what you Say.

“And WHATever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.”
Matthew 21:22 NKJV

For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us

We’ve probably all heard or read about the Bible story of Esau and Jacob, the twin sons of Isaac. May I ask your perspective on the story; did Esau sell his birthright or did Jacob seize it from him? ?

By virtue of his birth position as the firstborn twin, Esau was naturally positioned to receive the birthright blessing from his father Isaac. So God gave Esau an advantage from birth; an opportunity to inherit the birthright blessing.

However on this particular day, somewhere in his teenage days, Esau didn’t see his birth position as a privileged position, he didn’t think it was worth more than a bowl of pottage… Esau thought he needed food more than a future birthright blessing….

“Now Jacob cooked a stew; and Esau came in from the field, and he was weary. And Esau said to Jacob, “Please feed me with that same red stew, for I am weary.” Therefore his name was called Edom. But Jacob said, “Sell me your birthright as of this day.” And Esau said, “Look, I am about to die; so what is this birthright to me?” Then Jacob said, “Swear to me as of this day.” So he swore to him, and sold his birthright to Jacob. And Jacob gave Esau bread and stew of lentils; then he ate and drank, arose, and went his way. Thus Esau despised his birthright.”
Genesis 25:29‭-‬34 NKJV

Esau had just returned from an exhaustive and not very successful hunting session. He was weary (hungry and weak) and just needed something to eat. On returning home, his brother had a ready meal of pottage waiting to be consumed.

Esau only asked for some of Jacob’s pottage, as would any hungry brother who’d smelt food from far off.

Esau had a legitimate reason to want food; he had labour out in the fields and was exhausted. Are there believers today whose experiences can be likened to Esau’s on this particular day- working hard and having nothing to show for it? What options do people in this situation have? How should they handle the pressures of life-rent, fees, food, clothing, etc, etc? How should they meet family obligations and responsibilities? Like Esau, do these people have any advantage by virtue of being Christians or are they thrown daily into the same rat race as the people of the world?

In Hebrews 12: 14-16, the writer draws a spiritual lesson from Esau’s response to his pressures;

“Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord: looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled; lest there be any fornicator or profane person like Esau, who for one morsel of food sold his birthright.” Hebrews 12:14-16 NKJV.

Esau is used here as an example of a godless person because he did not recognize his birth position as being worth more than a bowl of pottage, and believers are admonished to place high value on their spiritual inheritance; to consider it as precious; never to trade it for anything else.

Let’s think about Esau for a bit; why did he easily give up his birthright?

Do you think he understood the spiritual implications of his birth position? Did he link his birth position to a blessing? Do you think he believed in this blessing? Or was Esau just an impatient person driven more by his desires than reasoning?

Here are my thoughts……

One, It seems to me that essentially, Esau lacked good knowledge and understanding of both natural and spiritual things/processes. Yes, Jacob may be described as a schemer, ‘supplanter’, tricky and deceitful person, yet, I still think Esau was naïve; he neither understood how the world works nor how to make it work to his benefit. Additionally (and most importantly) he was also unspiritual/godless and so could not understand the spiritual implication of his birth position, so he had little or no regard for it. Naivety and godlessness are obviously 2 dangerous combinations. If Esau at least had one of these, Jacob would have had a very hard time taking advantage of him. You don’t sign a letter of agreement (or swear even casually) to forgo your birthright blessing for the rest of your life! That is not smart; spiritually or naturally.

Two, I think that Esau allowed fear to dominate him, fear of the unknown, fear of what his future would be like. And fear is always a reflection of unbelief. So Esau had slipped into unbelief (even without realizing it). I daresay, this didn’t all happen in one day. It’s likely a subconscious response to seeming to be unsuccessful despite putting in a lot of efforts at becoming successful. One thing Esau did not realise though was that all along he had something worth more than a bowl of pottage.

Esau had the Blessing Advantage but didn’t place a high value on it. He did not value his birth position, did not value the blessing that comes with it, and he had no regard (anymore) for the source of the blessing-God! If he did, he would have probably known to endure a temporary hardship, to be patient through a transient pain/discomfort, he would have most likely known to choose and safeguard/preserve something with a long-term value/benefit over a bowl of pottage.

Dearly beloved, Esau had the blessing, you have the Blessing! By virtue of your rebirth and position in Christ, you have the Blessing (Galatians 3:14b). Do you know it? Do you recognize it?

The blessing is worth more than any temporary gain because the Blessing always brings increase and multiplication.

The blood of Jesus that bought your salvation is worth more than a bowl of pottage. The call of God upon your life is worth more than that attractive but illegal agreement you are considering signing. The anointing on your head is worth more than the transient satisfaction of sexual sin. The plans and purpose of God for your life is worth more than that temptation to cut corners and indulge in dirty deals.

Esau needed to exercise just a little more control, a little more patience, if only he had some more regard for his privileged position, he would have endured a temporary hardship, pain, discomfort, distress.

How do you lose a life-long advantage over a transient discomfort? How do you trade the Blessing for a Bowl of Pottage?

Do not step out of God’s will, stay with God, stay with His Word. Stay in the blessing. Do not seek alternative routes to success, walk in-step with the Spirit, stay with God, stay in the Word, stay in the blessing. Do not go to the fortunetellers (those claiming to see into your future), do not consult the spiritualists (those falsely claiming to reach God on your behalf), do not sign misleading agreements. Stay with the Word (Isaiah 8:19-22 MSG).

The Blessing will continually speak for you. Shalom!

Yes, God will send His Word to shine the light into our hearts, bringing illumination and understanding to help us take advantage of all Christ has done, and to help us see that He already healed us (I Peter 2:24). And the Holy Spirit helps us see that God already sent His Word and healed us. So do not let the enemy keep you in bondage with an expectation that your healing is coming from God, no, the Word (Jesus) already came and healed all your diseases.

The 6 Attributes of God I share in this blogpost are intrinsic to Him. They are His nature. And these attributes of God do not change irrespective of circumstances. They remain constant.

God is God of all
And Father to all who choose Him.
Through Jesus Christ all can be become sons and He their Father.

Though God of all, He still hates all forms of depravity and profanity.
He Wills that all may become saved and sons, He becoming Father to them.
His loving arms are open to all.

By Grace and through faith all can become saved and sons.
Grace doesn’t excuse depravity or profanity.
Even in Grace, God is still a holy God.
He still abhors depravity and profanity.

From the time of Sodom and Gomorrah, to the time and ministry of Jesus Christ, to this time of the Church age, God is still a holy God, He loves all people but still hates depravity and profanity.

Most events of the old testament were written for our learning today, some things to emulate, others to abstain from.

The evil choices of the people of Sodom and Gomorrah, fall into the group of things to abstain from….

“as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities around them in a similar manner to these, having given themselves over to sexual immorality and gone after strange flesh, are set forth as an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.“
Jude 1:7‭NKJV

“Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due.”
Romans 1:27 NKJV

“But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction. and turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes, condemned them to destruction, making them an example to those who afterward would live ungodly; and delivered righteous Lot, who was oppressed by the filthy conduct of the wicked (for that righteous man, dwelling among them, tormented his righteous soul from day to day by seeing and hearing their lawless deeds)”
II Peter 2:1‭, ‬6‭-‬8 NKJV

God’s ways haven’t changed.
His principles are still the same. Be ye holy as He is holy….

Contrary to hope, Abraham believed in hope; that is,  when there was nothing to hope for, Abraham had hope God’s promise would come through. Abraham had absolutely no reason to hope; he was old, his body was weak, his sexuality and sexual drive was as good as gone. Sarah was also weak, have you imagined how the womb of an 89year old woman could hold a baby?

Decrees are made through words, Judgements are passed through words.

Two forces worked together to bring about the world we now live in; the Spirit and the Word.